Predator attack - Hawk!!

[Lunalily]

So my chicks are about 6 weeks old. I have been taking them outside almost everyday to get some exercise and experience. They are always really good at staying close to me. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for big birds and always notice ravens, and seagulls. But have never seen anything else. (I don't worry about other predators because I have a 9 ft fence)

Yesterday, even though they were only about 2 feet away from me a hawk made an attempt to get one of my chicks! I never saw it or heard it! It was SO upsetting!! Thank god my chicks are old enough and fast enough, that they got away safely. But I was so upset, I felt like a failure as a parent!

My question is, until what age do hawks and other big birds prey upon chickens? Do they go after full grown chickens? What other day time predators do I need to look out for?

 

[Ali Gator]

Sometimes they will go after adults. You will need to watch out for opossums especially when they're young.

 

[applegal]

I have lost several full grown heavy breed hens to hawk attacks. You can buy bird netting to go over the top of your pen.
Good Luck!

 

[jobouss]

I built a cage of chicken wire with an open bottom and took my little ones out for the first time about 3 weeks ago. They were covered but could peck around in the grass. I was sitting about 10 feet from them in the shade of the chicken coop. My husband walked out and I looked up to speak to him and saw something out of the corner of my eye and a dang hawk landed right by the cage. I jumped up and he flew off. Scared me to death. I learned a big lesson that day to never let them out in the open. If they hadn't been in the cage, I am sure one of them would have been gone in 2 seconds.

 

[LemonberryMoon]

So even letting the free range while we are in the yard when they are full grown could lead to a loss from a hawk?!

 

[BrittBergh]

You are freaking me out... We plan to have the girls free range a lot and i cant be there watching them all the time! Maybe we should make the run bigger and not free range as much now... Though where we live I havent seen hawks flying over head.

 

[Going Quackers]

Sadly it's possible, my chickens have a pen fully enclosed we just have to many hawks for me to risk otherwise, just today I saw a pair huge 3ft+ wing spans not flying over our property but the one next, definitely not a cozy feeling.

 

[critterwhisper]

I swear them dang hawks smell chicken!! A couple days ago a hawk kept flying around freaked me out so the kids and i grabbed as many girls at a time as we could to the coop.Today we were sitting out watching the girls run around and that dang hawk came around again a few of the girls looked up watching it. Lol i think them darn hawks know you cant shoot them

 

[cheaperbythe12]

I let my hens free range. When they were adolescents I lost two in 24 hours to a hawk. Now that they are full grown, I haven't lost any - knock on wood. I saw a hawk a few weeks ago on a fence post, the girls were hiding under the roses. My hens have become wily birds. I did also get a large owl decoy and have it close to the coop.